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Face to Face (Siouxsie and the Banshees song)
}} "Face to Face" is a song recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was composed by the group along with Danny Elfman and was produced by Stephen Hague. The track was featured in the 1992 film, Batman Returns, and is included on its soundtrack. Film director Tim Burton asked the band to compose the main song of the movie. The track also appeared on the band 1992's compilation album Twice Upon a Time: The Singles and was remastered in 2002 for The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Music and reception The song featured strings which build to a dramatic conclusion. The song featured elements from Danny Elfman's Batman Returns score. Lyrically, the song makes indirect references to the film's characters Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. "Face to Face" was heard in the film during a ballroom scene in which the characters dance together, not realising that, as their alter-egos (Batman and Catwoman), they are enemies. The lyrics reflected the characters' conflict ("...Cheek to cheek / the bitter sweet / commit your crime / in your deadly time / It's too divine / I want to bend / I want this bliss / but something says I must resist..."). At one point, Siouxsie can be heard purring like a cat, a reference to Catwoman. Tim Burton stated: "I've always been a fan – Siouxsie is one of very few women who can create a realistic primal cat sound." At the time of its release as a single, the Stud Brothers wrote in Melody Maker: "It's a slow, heavily orchestral & sensuously tense piece with Siouxsie first tapt, then cracked and finally spiralling off into the ether".The Stud Brothers. Melody Maker. 11 July 1992. "Face to Face" peaked at No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart. It also performed well on American alternative rock radios, where the single peaked at No. 7 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart. 808 State remixed the song, issued as "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)". Due to contractual problems, the song was released in the US only on cassette by Warner Bros. which owned the copyright for the Batman Returns movie soundtrack. Consequently, Geffen, the band's US record compagny, was not allowed to release the song on any other format. In the film Batman Returns, the song can be heard in one scene and during the end credits.Danny Elfman, Inside the Elfman Studios: The Music of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video Promotional video Two versions of the music video picturing Siouxsie surrounded with cats were made: the video broadcast on music channels included shots from the movie with Michelle Pfeiffer as catwoman."Batman Returns' promotional video: Face to Face by Siouxsie and the Banshees". Facebook Video. Retrieved 2 November 2019. Burton initially wanted to direct the video but had to cancel after Warner Bros. asked for a new sequence to change the end of the movie. Burton's assistant Neil Abramson stepped in and "followed Burton's plan to match the video to the film".Loder, Kurt. "MTV News Siouxsie and the Banshees Face to Face (Video Report). Youtube. July 1992. Retrieved 21 November 2018. Track listing UK 7" single # "Face to Face" # "I Could Be Again" * also released on cassette UK 12" picture disc single # "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)"° # "I Could Be Again" # "Hothead" UK CD single (Available as a limited edition foldout digipak) # "Face to Face" # "I Could Be Again" # "Hothead" # "Face to Face (Catatonic Mix)"° °(Mixed by 808 State) Charts References Category:1992 singles Category:Siouxsie and the Banshees songs Category:Batman music Category:Song recordings produced by Stephen Hague Category:Songs written by Danny Elfman Category:1992 songs Category:Warner Records singles